Do Fish Drink Water

[WILDER]

This is an interesting read.
http/www.madsci.org/posts/archives/dec96...55291.Zo.r.html

 

[stang1]

Bookmarked it, I'll have a read tomorrow. Can't get my head around it tonight!

 

[WILDER]

Yes it was one of them articles that tends to go over your head.
Was bored could you tell.

 

[stang1]

Ah yes, but from your boredom, other members have learnt something new!

 

[WILDER]

If they can be bothered to read it.

 

[stang1]

I hope they do, I know I will. It's always good learning something new!

 

[rdd1952]

Fish definitely DO NOT drink water or all the rivers and oceans would be dry or made up of fish urine.

I don't know whether it would be considered drinking or not but they would almost assuredly take in water any time the eat.

 

[WILDER]

Off to bed goodnight stang1 and rdd1952.

 

[stang1]

Night Wilder, sweet dreams.

 

[GoldLenny]

They also take in water, salts, minerals and trace elements via osmoregulation and excrete the excess water in their urine. That's where some of the ammonia comes.

 

[Bignose]

They also take in water, salts, minerals and trace elements via osmoregulation and excrete the excess water in their urine. That's where some of the ammonia comes.

Some of the ammonia, but for freshwater fish, most of the ammonia is excreted through the gills. If I remember correctly it is on the order of 85-95% of ammonia is excreted through the gills. Regarding respiration, ammonia is to fish as CO2 is to mammals. It is done at the gills so the fish can actually use the gill's ion exchange abilities for good. Almost all of the ammonia that is excreted is excreted as ions, NH4+, and the fish exchanges those ammonium ions for ions of minerals it actually wants, like Na+ or Ca+2.